Multiprinting and addressing machine.



D. C. HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, I910.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

D. C; HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, I910.

14 SHEETSSHEET 2- Jzg a 12% mw km l4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Sept. 19,1916.

D. C. HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 22, 1910.

D. C. HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

0. c. HUGHES. MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001122.1910- Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

14 SHEETS-SHEET 51 D. C. HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, 19I0. I

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

14 SHEETSSHEET 6.

, v 1 1 1 1 v I allxlll1||lllxrlllllllslllllill|||| I 1 W W J D. C. HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION. FILED OCT. 22, 1910.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

I4 SHEETSSHEET I.

3 W fiieases Q D. C. HUGHES.- M ULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED QCT. 22, 1910- Patented Sept. 19,1916.

I4 SHEETS-SHEET 9- D. CCHUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, 1910. 1 ,1 98,55 1 Patented Sept. 19, 1916,

14 SHEETS-SHEET l0.

' D. C. HUGHES- MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MMHHNE- APPLICATION men an. 22. HMO.

1 1 98, 55 I Patented Sept. 19, 1916;

I4 SHEETS-SHEET H.

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D. c. HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22. I910.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

I4 SHEETS-SHEET 12- D. C. HUGHES.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22. 1910.

PatentedSept 19, 1916.

14 SHEETISSHEET 13.

D. C. HUGHES.

MULTI'PRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, I910.

PatoutmlSept. 1S), 1916.

I4 SHEETS-SHEET 14.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVYDD C. HUGHES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

' ADDRESSOGRAPH COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MULTIPRINTING AND ADDRESSING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed October 22, 1910. Serial No. 588,564.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVYDD C. HUGHES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiprinting and Addressing Machines, of which the following is a full, true, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to printing and addressing machines and has special reference to machines of the character used for printing letters, circulars, statements and the like.

he object of my invention is to provide a machine of this character which will print letters, circulars, statements and the like in their entirety so that when these articles leave the machine they will be inreadiness for the mail'without the necessity of any further preparation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combination letter writing and addressing machine which will write or print the body 0 a given letter, circular or the like upon each article and which will place a diiferent name and address on each article.

In another aspect my invention has for its object the provision of a combination writing machine which will be especially adapted for use in connection wlth an addressing system, such as the Rogers addressing system, .wherein the different addresses or superscriptions are represented by individual address or type plates; which machine will write or print the same ihain or body portion of a letter, circular and the like on successive pieces of printable material, which will utilize these address plates to apply a different address to each body portion of the article, and which will date the article and apply the proper salutation, the printing of the-several portions of each article being preferably accomplished in a single operation.

A further object is to provide a machine, as above outlined, which will produce these articles so thatythey will have the appear ance and characteristics of ordinary typewritten matter and will convey to the addressee the impression of individuality, thereby rendering the article more effective in accomplishing the desired end.

A further object of my "invention is to provide a circularizing machine which will be accurately, conveniently and independently adjustable and regulable throughout may be printed in one operation or any portlon thereof printed independently of the other portions; which will be entirely automatlc and extremely economical to maintain, and W111 be especially adapted for usein an ordinary business office withoutthe necessity for a skilled person, and which will be i all of its parts so that the complete article capable of producing a large quantity of.

dotted line Y.Y and must be placed together on this line in order that they may be properly read. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectlonal view, partly in elevation, taken substantially-on the line 55 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 6 is .a similar View taken substantially on line 66 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 7 is a. similar View taken substantially on the line 77 of Fig.4; Fig. 8 1s a transverse vertical sectional View taken substantiallyon line 8-8 of Fig. 5 looking toward the rear of the machine; Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the lower drums of the printing mechanism and shows the dating and saluta'tion mechanisms related'tliereto; parts of the letter drum being in section to show the formation of-the type channels; Figs. 10 and 12 are detail views of the salutation mechanism, Fig. 10 being a sectional view on line 1010 of Fig. 9, and F ig. 12 being a sectional view on line 12-12 of Fig. 10; Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line 11-11 of Fig. 9; Figs. 13, 14 and 15 are enlarged detail views of the dating mechanism, Fig. 13 being a sectional view on line 13-13 of Fig. 9, Fig. 14 being a top plan view of the dating mechanism shownin Fig. 13, and

Fig. 15 being a sectional view o'nline 15-15 of Fig. 13; Figs. 16 to 19, inclusive, are enlarged detail views of the mechanism which controls the differential relation of the drums of the printing mechanism. of these views Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the end of the letter drum taken on line 1616 of Fig. 17; Fig.1? is a longitudinal sectional view of the end portion of the letter drum on the line 1717 of Fig. 16; Fig. 18 is a detail view in elevation of the lower portion of Fig. 17 Fig. 19 is a plan sectional View on line 1919 of Fig. 16; Figs. 20, 21 and 22 are diagrammatic views illustrative of the operation of the paper controlling'mechanism, and of the means for regulating the pressure in the printing mechanism and for releasing the carriage; Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the relation of the various actuating and timing cams; Figs. 24 and 25 are likewise diagrammatic views illustrating the operation of the paper delivery mechanism, with relation to the printing mechanism; and Fig. 26 is an enlarged detail of the cams 107, as shown in Fig. 6.

The drawings depict a machine embodying my invention and which I have found best adapted to the various requirements in printing or producing letters, circulars, statements or the like, but it will be understood that my invention is capable of embodiment in other structures adapted for other conditions. This machine comprises various parts and mechanisms arranged in an organized operative combination, each of these parts performing its peculiar function in a definite co-acting relation to the other parts and to the machine as a whole.

For the purpose of a complete understanding of my invention I will describe the nature and functions, together with the details, of the various parts and operating mechanisms as organized into the complete combination, in the following order: the frame, the printing mechanism, the salutation mechanism, the dating mechanism, the paper feeder, the inking mechanism, the paper delivery mechanism, the plate magazine and conveyer mechanism, the plate receiver and packing mechanism.

The frame.All of the'parts and mechanisms are mounted in a suitable frame which maintains them in their proper operative relation with respect to each other. This frame consists mainly of two side members 1, rigidly held together at the bottom by the bolts 2 and spacer beams 2. This frame is made skeleton in form so that the machine will be as light in weight as possible consistent with rigidity and strength. It has various extensions for the purpose of accommodating the different mechanisms, and, wherever possible, these extensions are formed as casings or housings to protect the mechanisms from damage and prevent the entrance of grit and dirt and at the same time present a neat appearing, substantial this purpose.

structure. A plate 3 extends substantially the length of the upper portion of the frame a and serves not only as a rigid brace for the side members 1, but as a guide for the address or type plates P (Fig. 6). The guide plate extends forward from the address plate magaZineA. Its forward end 3' tierminates adjacent the printing mechanism. The address plates leave this terminal end and pass directly into the printing mechanism.

The printing meckanism.0ne of the objects of my invention, as before stated, is to provide a machine which prints all of the parts or elements of a letter or other article in the same operation. It is desirable therefore to have a printing mechanism which will be capable of performing the several printing functions in as convenient, accurate and reliable a manner as possible. As will hereinafter appear, the printing mechanism may take various forms without departing from the scope of my invention. For general work, however, of the character done by these machines, I find that a printing mechanism of the rotary type is the best suited to the purpose. The usual letter, circular, statement or such articles consist principally of four elements, namely, the body or main portion of the communication, the address or superscription, the salutation corresponding to the person to'whom it is addressed, and the date. The body portion usually is the same in each letter or other article, but the other elements, particularly the address or superscription, and the salutation are variable factors, that is to say, each article has the same body portion but a different salutation and address. In the present machine I prefer toutilize the individual address plates P for applying the different addresses to the articles, and I find that a rotary printing mechanism is best suited to The reason that I prefer to utilize independent address plates has its basis in the fact that the address plates usually constitute a component part of an addressing system in a business oilice. These plates are usually contained in the drawers of the filing cabinet in the manner of a card index. They may be placed in the machine for use in printing the different addresses and after the printing operation they may be returned to their original condition in the drawer ready for future use. Thus the machine may be adapted to existing addressing systems and particularly to the so called Rogers system. Another reason is that it is often desirable, for instance, to print the addresses on envelops and not in conjunction with letters or circulars. If the addresses were permanently associated with the printing mechanism it is readily seen that the addresses alone could not be printed with any degree of practicability.

Returning again to the printing mechanism, I construct my machine in such a manner that independent address plates may be employed therein, and I construct the printing mechanism in such a manner that it will press the different plates upon the articles simultaneously with the printing of the otherelements of the articles.

Referring now more particularly to F gs. 3, 4, 8 and 9, it will be seen that the printing mechanism consists of two co-axial lower drums L and T, and a co-acting upper pressure roll R common to and as long as both the lower drums. The lower drums are .mounted upon a-shaft 5 which is journaled in suitable bearings in the frame. A crank handle 12 is provided upon the end of shaft 5 for operating the machine. The drum L, for convenience, I term the letter drum, for the reason that its function is to print the main or body portion of the article. Similarly the drum T I term the plate drum because it is associated and co-acts withthe address plates. sure roll R is smaller in diameter than the drums. It has a rubber or composition platen surface B so as not to injure the type. I prefer to mount the pressure roll in a swinging or auxiliary carriage 6 which is pivoted at 7 to the sides of the frame, the reason for this being that it permits the carriage to be swung upwardly, and the roll and drums thereby widely separated so access may-be gained to the mechanisms below the carriage, and for making variousadjustments, as will hereinafter be described.

The pressure roll is removable from the carriage without disturbing its adjustment, one end thereof being centered by a removable pin 8 while the other end has a separable connection 9 with its driving shaft 10 journaled in the carriage. The shafts 5 and 10 are connected by two sets of bevel gears 5 and 10, as clearly shown in Fig.

8. A separable dental clutch 11 is interposed in the shaft between the two sets of gears so as to permit the carriage to'be.

raised, this clutch being located, as clearly seen, substantially on the dividing line between the upper portion of the framework and the carriage. These gears are so proportioned that the peripheral speed of the roll and that of the printing faces of the cular usually remains the same for each of anu-mber of. articles, buti the address and salu tfation are necessarily different for each article; By arranging the two drums independent of each other I am enabled to set up the body or main part of the letter on the drum L and as many sheets of paper The prestween the pressure roll and drums.

as desired may be printed therefrom while the drum T carries the plates through theprinting mechanism in proper time.

It is readily seen that the type representing the body portion of the article to be printed could not be conveniently set up in composition directly on the drum-L, hence I provide a separable type holder or chase which may be removed from the printing mechanism for the purpose of composing the type and afterward placed in position on the drum. As clearly shown in Figs. 9 and 11 this chase consists of a thin curved plate 13 conformed to the curvature of the periphery of the drum and embracing substantially half the circumference of the drum. The inner end of this curved plate is formed to fit an under-cut shoulder 14 on the inner end of the drum to prevent the .chase from becoming displaced. The other end of-the plate is secured to the drum by means of screws 15. This construction has the advantage that the chase may be adjusted circumferentially of the drum to. any position desired. The face of this chase has a plurality of parallel dove-tailed grooves or channels 12 for the reception of the metal type 12. It may be stated at this point that'on account of the curvature of the chase I find it particularly desirable to employ what is termed tapered type. To explain, the abutment faces of the type are disposed on lines drawn radially from the center of the drum (Fig. 9) so that the type will properly conform to the periphery of. the .drum. The side faces of the type have grooves which co-act with the walls of the type channels to lock the type against movement in any direction except longitudinally of the channel. The type are slipped into the channels from one end thereof. The other ends of the channels are blocked by a strip 13'. After the lines of type have been set up in the channels they are locked against longitudinal movement by means of small adjustable blocks or stops 12'. The function of the drum T is to properly support the address plates in printing position and to press the plates upon the pieces of paper as they pass through the space be- This drum is rotatable independently of the letter drum. It has a comparatively broad, deep groove T for the reception of the dating mechanism D which is described later.

, The space above the peripheral surfaces T of the plate drum is just sufiicient so that when. a type plate is in this space the face of its type will be in the printing plane, that is, in line with the face of the letter type.

It is readily seen that the speed of the face of the type onthe letter drum and on the type plates must necessarily be exactly the same at the instant of the printing pressure so as not to tear the sheets or blur the impression. The printing face of the type on the letter drum, however, follows a curve corresponding to the circumference of the drum, while the face of the type on the type plates lies in a straight line at a tangent to the plate drum. Obviously then, in order to equalize the face speed of both sets of type during the printing operation the plate drum being smaller in diameter must be rotated at a trifle greater speed than the letter drum, in order that the peripheral speed thereof may be the same as the peripheral speed of the letter drum. This I accomplish by means of differential gearing located at one end of the letter drum and c0- acting to bring about a differential speed relation between the two drums during the printing operation, as hereinafter described.

In printing machines of this character, the question of size becomes a very important consideration since the machines are principally used in ordinary business offices or commercialhouses. Manifestly then any structural design which reduces the size of the machine to the smallest possible dimensions, consistent with its proper operation,

is very desirable. For this important reason make the plate and letter drums comparatively small. As clearly seen, I can so arrange the letter drum that it will printan impression at each revolution without any particular regard for its size. lVith a small plate drum, however, it is not advisable to print at each revolution since the wear and tear on the machine and plates would be too great. I prefer, therefore, to so proportion the parts with respect to the plate drum that an address plate will be brought forward to the printing mechanism at each second revolution of the plate drum. Thus it is evident that. for each printing operation the plate drum must make two revolutions while the letter drum is making one. I prefer to rotate the plate drum at a constant speed and to vary the speed of the letter drum to suit the conditions just described. For this reason I connect the plate drum direct to the shaft 5 so that it may be driven directly from the crank handle. The letter drum is rotatable on this shaft and I provide a suitable difi'er ential gear mechanism to bring about the variations in the speed of the letter drum.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 7 and 16 to 19' inclusive, I will describe the mechanism for bringing about this differential speed relation between the two drums. The drum, L, as will be seen, is freely rotatable 'on the shaft 5. The drum L carries on its end two mutilated gears 21 and 22 of different diameters. These gears are pinned to a flanged ring .20 which is freely rotatable on the shouldered end of the drum. The drum receives its rotary movement from the object being to permit the letter drum to be disconnected when desired, as will be later described. A large spur gear 24' is secured to a shoulder 25 formed by an enlarged portion of the shaft 5 and'pflrtakes of the constant speed of the shaft. This gear transmits motion to the. mutilated gears and thence to the drum through the medium of several double pinions rotatably mounted upon suitable shafts carried in a U-shaped depending portion 1 of the machine frame. In Fig. 16 it will be seen that the spur gear 24 meshes with and drives a double pinion 26 which in turn drives a double pinion 27. The members of the double pinion 27, drive two other double pinions 28 and 29 which in turn mesh with and drive the mutilated gears 22 and 21 respectively. The mutilated gear 21 and its correspdnding pinion 29 are so proportioned that they rotate the letter drum at the printing speed, this being a trifle slower than the speed of the plate drum for the purpose of equalizing the face speed of the type, as before referred to. The mutilated gear 22 and its corresponding pinion 28 are'so-proportioned that the letter drum L is rotated at a much slower speed after each printing operation in order to permit the plate drum to complete the revolution and make another revolution. Hence by the time the plate drum completes its two revolutions the next address plate will arrive. at the printing position in time for the nextprinting operation. The former differential speed relation exists during the printing operation, while the latter exists in the interval between printing operations. Figs. 16 to 19, inclusive, clearly show the several trains of gears for accomplishing these differential speed relations. The drums rotate in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 16) and the printing speed begins at point 30 on gear 21. From this point the movements of the drums can be easily traced.

It frequently happens that it is desired to print only the address as in the case of addressing envelops. This condition renders it undesirable or in fact unnecessary to use the letter drum. For this reason I provide means by which the letter drum may be disconnected from the driving mechanism and allowed to remain idle. Referring to Figs. 4 and 7 it will be seen that the machine frame has two instanding bosses,- 32,

adjacent the end of the letter drum. On-

the .ends of those bosses I mount a slotted plate, 33, which is guided by the screws 34: so as to slide radially toward and from the end of the letter drum. This plate is adapted to be'projected into the path of the spring pressed pin, 23. It is provided with a curved cam surface 35. When the end of this plate is projected into the path of the pin it becomes interposed between the pin an the mutilated gear 22 due to the fact that the pin rides upon the cam surface 35, and it is thereby withdrawn from connection with said gear, thus completely disconnecting the drum from'its driving mechanism. The sliding plate is operated by means of an arm, 36, which projects through a slot, 37, in the frame. positions by a spring pressed pin, 38, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1), which-locks the arm in either end of the slot, 37.

Salutation mecham'sm.-The salutation such as Dear Sir, Dear Madame, Gentlemen, constitutes one element or part of the complete make up of a letter or similar article, but, of' course, this is variable, de-- pending upon the person or party to whom 'the article is addressed. It is possible to simply set up type in the chase of the letter drum for this purpose, but the impracticability of this method is at once apparent since it would be necessary to remove the chase and change th'esalutation each time it is necessary to print a different salutation. I prefer to provide a salutation mechanism in association with the printing mechanism. It is preferably rotary in character and independent of the printing mechanism so that it may be adjusted with respect to the printing mechanism. It preferably carries a plurality of salutations so that any desired salutation may be conveniently placed in printing position.

The salutation is usually located on the printed article between the address and the first line of the letter. In my preferred construction, this mechanism'comprises a ring or annulus 75, and a plurality of radially disposed type holders 76 carried thereon. This mechanism is located in a space pro vided for it between the two drums. For this purpose the end L of the letter drum is reduced in diameter. This reduced portion is eccentrically arranged with respect to the axis of the drum. The salutation mechanism is independently rotatable on this eccentric portion. As clearly shown in Fig. 10, each of these type holders has a in its outer edge,

sentinga salutation is placed. I prefer to arrange these so each one of these type hold ers carries a different salutation. It is ob vious, however, that the face of the type in all of these type holders cannot be. in the printing plane at the same time for the reason .that, as the drum rotates, each salutation would be printed on the paper. I, thiffiffli'e, make the salutation mechanism of l'es ameter than the diameter of the printing The plate is held in either of its .,tional form. It is to be understood, however, that the letter drum may be constructed so that the highest part of the portion L comes to any position with respect to the body of the letter. The dotted'line 79 indicates the printing plane of the face of the type on the letter drum and makes clear the fact that only one of the type holders has its type in the printing position at one time. It will be noted, however, that the face of the type in each individual holder lies inan arc the radius of which is the same as that of the arc in which the face of the type on the letter drum lies. This insures a uniform printing of the whole line of salutation type.

Due to the inaccuracies in manufacture or wear of the parts it would be possiblefor one end of the salutation to drop below or rise above the printing plane, therefore causingit to printlighter or heavier than the rest of the salutation. To guard against this I make each individual holder radially adjustable on the ring 75. Each holder has a flanged bas'e conformed to the curvature I of the ring and at each end of this flange is a screw 76' which acts against the ring 75. By turning these screws the ends of the salutation may be raised or lowered with respect to the letter type. In, addition to this- I provide two screws 76" which extend through the flange of the holder and screw into the ring 75 for the purpose of clamping the holder in its adjusted position.

As I have previously stated, the salutation ring is freely rotatable on the eccentric portion of the letter drum. In order to hold the salutation mechanism against rotation I provide an automatic lock which acts to lock whichever salutation is in printing position. This lock consists of a small spring pressed pin 80 set in the end face of the drum at a pointcorresponding to the printing position. In the adjacent face of each'of the type holders I provide a cam shaped slot 81 for the reception of the pin 80. Thesel slots are so formed that they provide abrupt shoulders to the pin and positively prevent the salutation from shifting in one direction, but permit the free movementthereof in the other direction. In other words, the salutation ring is positively locked against movement in the direction in which it tends to lag. In the other direction, however, the spring lock acts as a ratchet in the slots and permits the ring to be easily adjusted to bring the proper salutation into place.

Dating mechanism.-The date of a letter onlike article is subject to change frequently. The date, however, is usually positioned on the paper above orin the line with the address and adjacent the right hand margin, but it is often placed at the bottom of the article. I have provided a mechanism of a pally within the periphery of the-drum and hence below the printing plane or level, as more clearly shown in Figs. 8, 9, 13, 14 and 15. The dating mechanism may be arranged as a permanent partof the machine, but I prefer to make it in the nature of a selfcontained structure attachable or detachable, as a whole, from the plate drum. For

this reason I provide an arc-shaped carrier or frame, 85, which embraces substantially half of the bottom wall of the groove T and upon this carrier I mount the other parts necessaryto properly print the date upon the paper. This method of arranging the dating mechanism permits it to be adjusted circumferentially of the drum so that the date may be applied in any position on the article. The carrier is removably clamped on the drum by means of a pivoted toe 85, which is operated by the screw 85" (Fig. 13). The carrier contains a type holder 87 which is radially movable to and from the printing position. The type 87 are carried in atype channel on the curved edge of the holder. It will be remembered, as before stated, that the plate drum makes two revolutions per impression. and during the idle rotation of this drum it is not desirable to have the dating mechanism inposition to lution. This bell-crank lever actuates a cam,

through the medium of a long pawl 88. to alternately raise and lower the type holder. The printing mechanism rotates in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 13) hence the type holder is actuatedin advance of its arrival at theprinting position. In the usual letter the address begins at the left hand margin of the sheet while the date is printednear the right hand margin of the sheet. The dating mechanism is arranged so that it will lag behind the printing of the address. Hence it is apparent that even though the dating mechanism is mounted on the plate drum it is not interfered with by the plates since they pass over the drum and out of the way before the dating mechanism comes into action.

I could, if desired, make the main inking ribbon I wide enough to overlap the dating type and Supply ink thereto. I prefer, however, to provide a separate inking ribbon individual to the dating mechanism for the reason that it is often desirable to run article through'the machine .and simply apply-the date thereto, and. it would be uneconomical and expensive to use the main ribbon for this purpose. Furthermore,as is later explained, the main ribbon might happen to be moving in the wrong direction at the time the date is applied, and in consequence the impression would be blurred and perhaps the ribbon torn. This individual ribbon 90 is wound upon reels disposed .one

at each side of the type holder and is stretched across the face of the dating type. One of these reels is driven from the striking mechanism -88 through the medium of a ratchet 90', and a train of gears 91, so that the ribbon will present a different surface for each impression. It is sometimes desirable to dispense with the dating mechanism without removing it from the drum. By simply locking the bell crank 88 within the carrier, by means of a pin extending through an openingin the carrier and into the opening 88 so that it does not project beyond the surface of the drum it will not be effective to actuate the dating mecha nism and renders it unnecessary to remove the dating mechanism from .the drum.

Paper feeder.-In a machine of this character it is necessary that the paper or other articles to be printed should be fed to the printing mechanism in a proper time relation to the printing mechanism and to the type plates so that the imprint will be properly placed on the article. This is the function of the paper feeder. It is more clearly shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 and the diagrammatic views 20, 21 and 22, these being referred to later. The feeding mechanism is located on the auxiliary carriage 6 at the intake side of the rinting mechanism. It

comprises essentia ly a paper receiving ledge or bar 40, a feeding or drawing roll 41 which withdraws the articles one by one from the ledge or bar 40 and passes them downward along a guide plate 42 (Fig. 6), 

